Former Blue Valley High player reflects on making the Super Bowl with Seahawks
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Seahawks rookie Mason Richman frames Super Bowl LX as bowl game, drawing on college time.
- Richman recalls preseason Chiefs game and KC ties with teammates Drew Lock, Jalen Sundell.
- Richman credits season as a learning process, emphasizing humility and finishing as champ.
One way to calm your nerves leading up to the Super Bowl is to view it simply as a college bowl game.
That’s sort of how Seahawks offensive lineman Mason Richman is approaching things ahead of Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Richman, who was a first-team all-state selection at Blue Valley High School, is one of eight Seattle or New England players with ties to Kansas City.
During Monday’s Super Bowl LX Opening Night media event, Richman spoke with Jason Anderson of WHB (810 AM) about the last time the Seahawks were in Santa Clara.
Ahead of that regular-season game against the 49ers, Richman reminisced about Kansas City with a pair of teammates: Drew Lock, the former Lee’s Summit High School quarterback, and center Jalen Sundell, the former Maryville (Missouri) High School star.
“We were talking about AAU basketball and just different parts of Kansas City,” Richman said. “I think Jalen had Gates confused with Arthur Bryant’s, so we were trying to figure that all out and stuff.”
Richman, who is a rookie, got a taste of Kansas City right out of the gate as a pro. The Chiefs played a preseason game against the Seahawks ahead of the 2025 season.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has said he knew from that game that Seattle would do great things.
For Richman, it was a memorable experience.
“That was a pretty cool moment too, just for a childhood version of myself,” Richman told Anderson. “But even when I was blocking them, I’m like, ‘Dang, I’m blocking a Chiefs player.’ I always thought it would be the other way growing up. But no, I’m super grateful to just kind of spread my wings out here in Seattle and be a Seahawk.”
That surreal feeling returned after the Seahawks defeated the Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game.
Richman, who was a seventh-round pick out of Iowa in last year’s NFL Draft, is thrilled to be at the Super Bowl. But as someone who went to a bowl game all four years with the Hawkeyes, this is a somewhat familiar feeling.
At least that’s what Richman is telling himself.
“It’s kind of funny, someone was asking about how it is as a rookie, it just feels like another bowl trip, honestly,” Richman said. “So it’s like college never ended. But it’s a great thing. It keeps my standards high, definitely for just how you want your team to finish the year: on top as a championship team.
“So with these guys in this group, it’s been really fun. And just learning the whole way. I think it’s just been a year of complete humility and learning, I think, which is great for anybody.”
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 10:40 AM.
